Braxiatel Collection

Braxiatel Collection
Type:	Museum
Location:	KS-159
First mentioned in:	City of Death
First appearance:	Theatre of War
Appearances:	see list

The Braxiatel Collection was an archive established by Irving Braxiatel to provide a permanent record of the universe's art and culture.

Geography

It was located on asteroid KS-159, which Braxiatel had won as part of the winnings in a card game. He originally wanted the asteroid partly because he wished to investigate the Oracle of the Lost, but later decided to use it as a site for his collection. (PROSE: Tears of the Oracle) The asteroid was later renamed Braxiatel (PROSE: Theatre of War) He cited his collection in that part of space due to it being the site of a huge, dense energy field. He planned to use the energy field to support his people after he brought them back from their doom. (AUDIO: Resurrecting the Past)

The Mansionhouse and grounds were based on the Palace of Versailles, and all the rooms were bugged. (PROSE: Theatre of War) The Rat and Pestle was a pub on the Collection. (PROSE: The Infernal Nexus) Café Vosta was a shop on the Collection. (PROSE: Misplaced Spring) The Agamemnon was a bar located near the library, (PROSE: The Blame of the Nose) and others included the Bodleian Library, the Stanarbrian Library, the Library of Curios. (PROSE: Theatre of War)

Transport around the Collection was strictly by horse and carriage or Ormand-Seltec Flyers. (PROSE: The Doomsday Manuscript)

History

Origins

Braxiatel began building his collection prior to the destruction of Dellah. (PROSE: Where Angels Fear) He claimed to have started his collection after witnessing how easily time can be destroyed. Despite the fact that doing so was illegal, Braxiatel started accumulating rare cultural items from throughout time in an effort to preserve them, (AUDIO: The Inquiry) starting by collecting every book banned by the Index of the Catholic Church in Venice 1609. (PROSE: The Empire of Glass) He had much of it in storage X One Nine in a series of large warehouses, one of which held a secret apartment. He built gravity generators and set up KS-159 as the Braxiatel Collection towards the end of the 26th century. (PROSE: Tears of the Oracle)

The Eighth Doctor once attempted to visit the opening night of the Collection, though the effects of the Kotturuh crisis prevented his journey. (AUDIO: Echoes of Extinction) Bernice and her friends used the Collection as a base while fighting the All-High Gods, with Jason Kane, Clarence, and Chris Cwej all meeting with Bernice and Braxiatel at the Collection to formulate plans. (PROSE: The Joy Device)

Fame

Romana II suggested that the collection was better than the Louvre, but the Fourth Doctor disagreed. (TV: City of Death) At some point, the Collection was available to visit by invitation only, (PROSE: Theatre of War) and the Fifth Doctor intended to take Erimem to the Braxiatel Collection, but landed in 1626 France instead. (AUDIO: The Church and the Crown)

Invasion of the Braxiatel Collection

The Braxiatel Collection was attacked and invaded by the Fifth Axis, assisted behind the scenes by the Daleks. (AUDIO: Death and the Daleks) Following this incident (which should never have occurred), Braxiatel set about ensuring the Collection would be safe, secretly recruiting an army of Cybermen for this purpose. However, he was forced to depart the Collection following a series of events involving (among other things) his manipulation and attempted murder of Jason Kane. (AUDIO: The Crystal of Cantus)

Braxiatel's absence

During Braxiatel's absence from the Collection, Bev Tarrant stepped forwards to be the Collection's director. (PROSE: Work in Progress) Braxiatel had linked his TARDIS to the Collection, and the machine was malfunctioning in his absence. (PROSE: Mother's Ruin) Following a series of unusual events and the aggressive policies of several alien species, (AUDIO: Summer of Love) Bernice Summerfield brought Braxiatel back to solve the affair. (AUDIO: The Tub Full of Cats)

Within a day of his return Bev Tarrant was ousted by the Draconian Ambassador Kothar. (AUDIO: The Judas Gift) Although not officially in charge, Braxiatel returned to a position of authority. (AUDIO: Freedom of Information) Due to the death of Jason Kane and suspicions of Braxiatel's motives, Bernice took her son Peter and fled the Collection (and Braxiatel). (AUDIO: The Wake)

Disappearance

In the Deindum War, the Collection was used as a refugee camp, housing over twenty thousand people. (AUDIO: Escaping the Future) After the Deindum War, the Braxiatel Collection vanished without a trace. (PROSE: Adorable Illusion)

Undated events

At some point, the Collection gave "kind permission" to a human-made history book about the Daleks to reproduce the painting Infernal Sleep, by "renowned" 47th century artist Chames Jarlton, as an illustration of Davros during his cryo-incarceration. (PROSE: Dalek: The Astounding Untold History of the Greatest Enemies of the Universe)

The Braxiatel Collection also had a replica of the Key to Time on loan. (PROSE: Still Need a Title!)

Known contents

The collection was rumoured to contain an entire gallery dedicated to Deauxob of Glanatanus, Howard Carter's notebooks from the Tutankhamen expedition, (PROSE: The Doomsday Manuscript) Parry's original notes from the abortive mission to Telos, the hand-written manuscript for The Good Soldiers. Every item in the Collection had a catalogue number.

• 002 CH - The first edition of Stories From the Theatre.
• 117 GPR - An account of the actor Hagan acting by George Lichbergh, dated 2407.
• 219 FD - An extract from Intelligence Report XV117 from analyst Ezira to the Rippearean War Cabinet, dated 3978.
• 831 CPH - A cover letter by Di Petro Palladio, sent with the application for the job of Admissions Overseer at the Pentillanian Theatre, dated 2315.
• 882 PA - A description of the opening night of The Captain's Honour at the Pentillanian Theatre on Menaxus.
• 883CR - The unfinished manuscript of Beyond Osterling's Legacy, written by Azcline Grigsen.
• 957 JM - An extract from The Techniques of the Actor, written by Haga Nodena. (PROSE: Theatre of War)
• An Even Briefer History of Time, written by High Lord Rhukk. (PROSE: Invasion of the Cat-People)

Behind the scenes

• Although it is spelled "Braxiatel Collection" in the novelisation and all following media, the script for City of Death actually spelt the name "Braxiotel Collection". (REF: DWM 350)